[Long-term outcomes of percutaneous lumbar discectomy and microendoscopic discectomy for lumbar disc herniation]

To evaluate the long-term effects of percutaneous lumbar discectomy (PLD) and microendoscopic discectomy (MED) in treatment of lumbar disc herniation.

A questionnaire survey by letter and telephone was conducted among 104 patients undergoing PLD and 82 patients undergoing MED during January 2000 to March 2002, to investigate the Oswestry disability index (ODI), Short Form-36 (SF-36) score, and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score.

The excellent/good rate (ODI score=0-20%) of the MED group was 79.27%, significantly higher than that of the PLD group (71.15%, P=0.0397). However, longer The hospitalization duration of the MED group was 11, 6 d, significantly longer than that of the PLD group (7.9 d, P<0.01), and the mean cost of the MED group was, significantly higher than that of the PLD group (P<0.01). Long-term complications were observed in 3 patients of the MED group (3.49%) while none in the PLD group.

Both PLD and MED are minimally-invasive-technique with a long-term efficacy and safety on lumbar disc herniation. Although the long-term outcome of the MED group is better than PLD, the complication rate, hospitalization duration, and cost of the MED group are higher.